Gwinnett County

‘He terrified me’: Gwinnett man held at gunpoint by police as he was leaving work

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A Gwinnett County store employee says he was put in a scary situation when he was held at gunpoint by police who thought he may have been a burglar as he left work near Peachtree Corners.

Seth Hawkins was walking to his motorcycle outside a business on Holcomb Bridge Road when officers emerged with weapons drawn at 12:06 a.m. on Saturday, according to surveillance video.

“I felt like I was getting robbed and maybe this was the end of my life basically,” Hawkins said.

Police said someone called in suspicious activity about a motorcycle outside the closed business.

Officers believed they might be interrupting a burglary in progress, according to police.

Hawkins, who asked us not to identify the business, said he initially didn’t realize the armed men were police officers.

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“I was very in fear of my life, and I just got to a point where I’m on my back and he’s telling me to turn over,” he said.

The employee was handcuffed for six minutes while officers checked for warrants, then released him, according to police.

Hawkins proved he worked at the business and was closing by providing his store key.

“He terrified me, dehumanized me, didn’t give me an apology, just kind of defended how he took the right course of action,” he said. “And then he was like, have a good night, man.”

Hawkins is considering filing a complaint with the department.

“He simply could have just come with his patrol lights on, and he could have been like, ‘Hey man, what are you doing outside?’” Hawkins said. “And I would’ve been like, ‘Hey, I work here. The whole situation could have been avoided.”

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